Installation for defoaming lubricants

ABSTRACT

An installation for defoaming lubricants, in particular for the supply of hydraulic valve lifter elements in internal combustion engines and the like, in which a center pipe extending substantially vertically through the housing is adapted to be connected with the supply channel conducting the oil from the feed pump; the center pipe is provided internally with a throttling place and upstream thereof with apertures in communication with a housing space that is considerably larger than the bore in the center pipe; oil which is defoamed and possibly also filtered is conducted off through an opening provided in the bottom of the housing whereas oil that might still contain air, is able to flow off through an opening provided in the upper portion of the housing space into the line leading back to the oil sump.

United States Patent [191 Sommerfeld et al.

[ Jan. 22, 1974 INSTALLATION FOR DEFOAMING LUBRICANTS Assignee: Daimler-Benz Aktiengesellschaft,

Stuttgart-Unterturkheim, Germany Filed: Dec. 15, 1971 Appl. No.: 208,320

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. 15, 1970 Germany 2061597 US. Cl. 55/159, 55/178 Field of Search. 55/46, 87, 159, 178, 182, 189, 55/218; 210/532 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Int. Cl B0ld 19/00 1 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,187,195 2/1965 Germany 55/178 Primary ExaminerCharles N. Hart Attorney, Agent, or Firm- Craig, Antonelli & Hill [57] ABSTRACT An installation for defoaming lubricants, in particular for the supply of hydraulic valve lifter elements in internal combustion engines and the like, in which a center pipe extending substantially vertically through the housing is adapted to be connected with the supply channel conducting the oil from the feed pump; the center pipe is provided internally with a throttling place and upstream thereof with apertures in communication with a housing space that is considerably larger than the bore in the center pipe; oil which is defoamed and possibly also filtered is conducted off through an opening provided in the bottom of the housing whereas oil that might still contain air, is able to flow off through an opening provided in the upper portion of the housing space into the line leading back 'to the oil sump.

25 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure I INSTALLATION FOR DEF OAMING LUBRICANTS The present invention. relates to an installation for defoaming lubricants, preferably oil, especially for the supply of hydraulic valve lifter elements in internal combustion engines, to the lubricationand supplyplaces of which the oil is fed from an oil sump by means of a feed pump by way of an oil channel.

The aim of the present invention is to make foamfree oil available in an oil-defoaming installation to special lubricating and feed locations since in special conditions an oil supply with completely foam-free oil has to be assured because the oil might become foamed easily, especially with engines having high rotational speeds.

Even if an oil pump sucks in the oil free of air, e.g., when its suction pipe or inlet is disposed below the oil level, with engines operating at high rotational speeds, the oil may be still strongly foamed. Due to the rapid circulation of the oil, air is tore along from the surrounding and is then fed together with the oil to the lubricating and feed places.

Hydraulic valve filter elements have to be supplied with air-free oil in order to avoid a tapping of the elements, 'especially during starting. For this requirement, a defoaming installation has been developed according to the present invention by means of which the oil free of air is separated from the oil containing air.

Simultaneously, this installation can be utilized for the oil supply of hydraulic chain-tensioning adjusters since also the latter have to be supplied with air-free oil especially during starting in order to avoid a rattling.

The underlying problems are solved according to the present invention in that a vertically extending center pipe connected to the oil channel and terminating in a line leading to the oil sump is arranged in a housing,

and in that a throttling place is provided in the center pipe, upstream of which-as viewed in the flow directionare provided apertures which terminate in the larger housing space. compared to the center pipe,,from which the cleaned oilis conducted off to the valve lifter elements by way of an aperture provided in the bottom whereas oil possibly still containing air can flow through an aperture provided at the top of the housing space into the line leading back to the oil sump. In such an installation, a partition wall which is mounted closely below the apertures, may' separate within the housing an upper venting space from a lower storage space which are connected with each other only by an annular gap remaining between the partition wall and the housing wall. This partition wall may be appropriately supported on a fine-mesh sieve jacket or casing surrounding the center pipe which serves as filter; the sieve casing surrounds the discharge of the aperture provided in the lower part, preferably in the bottom of the housing, by way of which the cleaned oil flows to the hydraulic elements. Furthermore, the opening provided in the top may consist of a gap which remains between the center pipe and the wall of the opening provided in the ceiling of the housing, through which the center pipe extends, whereby the opening leads into a space surrounded by an annular chamber cylinder, in which terminate also apertures connected with the bore of the center pipe.

Furthermore, it may be of advantage to provide the center pipe extending through the entire housing, on the one hand, with a head and on the other hand, with a thread by means of which it is screwed into the hous ing bottom until it extends up to the oil channel whereas the head provided at least on one side with a beveled surface presses the annular chamber cylinder provided with a connection for the line leading to the oil sump against the ceiling of the housing whereby also the gap is sealed off.

Accordingly, it. is an object of the present invention to provide an installation for defoaming lubricants, especially oil, which avoids by simple means the aforementioned shortcomings and drawbacks encountered in the prior art.

Another object of the present invention resides in an installation for defoaming lubricants, preferably lubricating oil to assure a foam-free oil supply, particularly for valve lifter elements and the like of internal combustion engines.

A further object of the present invention resides in a defoaming installation for internal combustion engines which assures a tap-free starting of the engine defoamed supplying defoam lubricant to all those places requiring the same.

A still further object of the present invention resides in a defoaming installation for defoaming lubricants, especially oil, which is simple in construction, yet reliably separates cleaned and foam-free oil from oil still containing some air.

These and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which shows, for purposes of illustration only, one embodiment in accordance with the present invention, and wherein:

The single FIGURE is a vertical cross-sectional view through one embodiment of a defoamer in accordance with the present invention.

Referring now to the single FIGURE of the drawing, a housing 2 is seated securely on a housing bottom 1 and is connected therewith in a fluid-tight manner. An oil channel 3 is provided in the housing bottom 1, which may be connected to a line coming from the main oil channel or duct supplied from the feed pump (not shown). Furthermore, the housing bottom 1 is provided with a bore 4 which is in communication by way of an aperture 5 with the interior of the housing 2 and to which may be connected, on the other hand, a line which leads to the hydraulic elements to be supplied with cleaned oil.

A center pipe 7 provided with a thread 6 and extending through the entire housing 2 is screwed into the housing bottom 1 so that it extends to the oil channel 3 and that its bore 8 has an otherwise-sealed connection with the oil channel 3.

On the other upper end, the center pipe 7 terminates in a head 9 which is provided with a beveling at least on one side in order to be able to screw the center pipe 7 with its thread 6 into the housing bottom 1.

An annular chamber cylinder 12 is inserted between the head 9 of the center pipe 7 and the ceiling ll of the housing 2, which is pressed sealingly against the sealing 11 of the housing by the head 9 of the tightened center pipe 7. In order to assure the sealing of the annular chamber cylinder 12 between the head 9 of the center pipe 7 and the ceiling ll of the housing 2, sealing disks 13 are inserted on both sides of the cylinder 12. The lower sealing disk 13, however, has to be so large that it leaves open an aperture 14 remaining between the center pipe 7, on the one hand, and the annular cylinder 12 as well as the ceiling 11, on the other, which aperture connects the space 15 on the inside of the cylinder 12 with the larger housing space 16 of the housing 2. The space 15 in the cylinder 12 is additionally provided with a connection leading to a line 17 which is connected with the oil sump. Furthermore, the space 15 is in communication with the bore 8 of the center pipe 7 by way of apertures 18.

The bore 8 of the center pipe 7 is provided with a throttling place 22 in the lower portion of the larger housing space 16 which is separated from the supply space 19 by a partition wall 21. Below the throttling place 22, i.e., upstream thereof as viewed in the direction of flow, apertures 23 are provided in the center pipe 7 which connect the bore 8 of the center pipe 7 with the larger housing space 16.

The partition wall 21 which is only so large that it leaves an annular gap 24 between its periphery and the housing 2, is supporting with its lower conical surface 25 on a fine-mesh sieve case 28 surrounding the center pipe 7, which sieve also surrounds the orifice of the aperture provided in the bottom 1 of the housing 2. The partition wall 21 and therewith the sieve jacket 28 are forced downwardly by a spring 26 so that the sieve case 28 sealingly abuts both at the housing bottom 1 as also at the partition wall 21.

For the operation of the installation according to the present invention for the purpose of defoaming oil, the oil is supplied after the starting of the engine in the customary manner also to the cam shafts arranged above the cylinders by way ofa main oil channel (not shown). A line (not shown) is branched off from this main channel which is connected with the oil channel 3 of the defoamer in accordance with the present invention. The oil entering through the oil channel 3, which may still contain air, after passage through the oil channel 3, reaches the bore 8 of the center pipe 7. The oil flow is divided by the throttling place 22. One portion of the oil flow flows through this throttling place 22 into the upper part of the bore 8 of the center pipe 7 and from there through the apertures 18 into the space surrounded by the annular chamber cylinder 12. The other portion of the oil flow flows through the apertures 23 and reaches the larger housing space 16 which serves for the venting of the oil due to the now-reduced flow velocity of the oil. Oil still mixed with air, which is lighter than oil without air, flows slowly off in the upward direction, reaches the surface 27 conically extending toward the center of the ceiling l1 and from there the aperture 14 provided at the top of the housing space, whose walls may also be constructed tapering in the direction toward the center from the lower part toward the upper part. The oil mixed with air now also enters through the aperture 14 into the space 15. From there, the oil present in this space is fed back by way of line 17 into the oil sump.

The heavier portion of the oil either is not mixed at all with air or is mixed only to a very slight extent with air, enters the supply space 19 through the annular gap 24. Any air which is possibly still present at that time is now held back by the sieve jacket 28 and has an opportunity due to the downwardly inclined surface 25, especially when the engine stands still, to flow back into the housing space 16. The cleaned oil can now be supplied from the inner storage space 29 surrounded by the sieve jacket 28 through the aperture 5 provided in the housing bottom 1 by way of the bore 4 to the hydraulic valve lifter elements.

The sieve jacket has appropriately a mesh size of about 10 to 20 ,u.

The described defoaming installation according to the present invention assures that during starting the hydraulic elements are fed immediately with air-free oil. As a result thereof, a tapping during the starting is avoided. Since only leakage losses in the hydraulic valve lifter elements have to be re-supplied, i.e., the defoamer only has a small rate of flow during the operation a practically air-free oil is supplied to the hydraulic valve lifter elements also during the operation of the engine.

While we have shown and described only one embodiment in accordance with the present invention, it is understood that the same is not limited thereto but is susceptible of numerous changes and modifications as known to those skilled in the art, and we therefore do not wish to be limited to the details shown and described herein but intend to cover all such changes and modifications as are encompassed by the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. An installation for defoaming lubricants comprising a housing means, a center pipe means terminating at a lower end in a feed line connected with a lubricant supply containing an air-oi] mixture, said center pipe means including a throttling means and aperture means upstream of said throttling means with respect to the normal flow direction through said center pipe means, said aperture means opening into a space of said housing means adjacent to said center pipe for communicating at least a portion of said air-oil mixture to said space dimensioned with respect to said center pipe means such as to provide a venting space for air separated from said air-oil mixture, a discharge aperture provided in a lower portion of the housing means separate from said feed line for discharging oil separated from said air-oil mixture, and outlet means provided at an upper end of said center pipe means for communicating any air-oil mixture remaining in said center pipe means into a return line.

2. An installation according to claim 1, wherein a partition wall is mounted within said housing means space closely below the aperture means provided in the center pipe means, and separates an upper venting space within the housing means from a lower supply space, said upper and lower spaces being connected with each other only by an annular gap remaining between the partition wall and a corresponding wall of said housing means.

3. An installation according to claim 2, wherein said partition wall is supported on a fine-mesh sieve jacket means surrounding the center pipe means, said sievejacket means also enclosing said discharge aperture provided in the lower portion of the housing means.

4. An installation according to claim 3, characterized in that the discharge aperture for the discharge of the cleaned oil is provided in the bottom of the housing means.

5. An installation according to claim 1, wherein said outlet means comprises an opening in an upper wall portion of said housing means surrounding said center pipe means, said opening connected to a space formed by an annular cylinder means disposed above said upper wall portion and wherein said upper end of said end and said upper end.

center-pipe means is connected to said space of said housing means by second aperture means.

6. An installation according to claim 5, wherein said center-pipe means extends through said housing and includes a head portion at said upper end and a threaded portion at said lower end, said threaded portion being screwed into said lower portion of said housing means to connect with said oil supply channel, and said head portion sealingly engages said annular cylinder means against said upper wall portion of said housing means such that said opening is sealed.

7. An installation according to claim 1, wherein said center pipe means is substantially vertical.

8. An installation according to claim 1, wherein said space of said housing means surrounds said center pipe means.

9. An installation according to claim 8, wherein said housing means space concentrically surrounds said center pipe means.

10. An installation according to claim 1, wherein said aperture means is the only opening between said lower 11. An installation according to claim 1, wherein said space of said housing means is relatively larger than the space defined by said center pipe means.

' 12. An installation according to claim 1, wherein said throttling means and aperture means are configured such that a substantial portion of said air-oil mixture passes through said aperture means into said space of said housing means.

13. An installation according to'claim 12, wherein said air-oil mixture is separated exclusively by gravity acting on the oil while the air is vented upwardly in said space.

14. An installation according to claim 3, wherein said sieve-jacket means has a fine'mesh size of about 10 p.

to about 20 [.L.

15. An installation according to claim 1, wherein said discharge aperture for discharging cleaned oil is provided in a bottom portion of ,said housing means.

16. An installation according to claim 1, wherein said oil supply channel is fed by a pump from the sump of an internal combustion engine, and said return line is connected with the sump.

17. An installation according to claim 16, wherein said discharge aperture provided in the lower portion of the housing space is connected to for supplying lubricant to hydraulic valve lifter elements of the internal combustion engine.

18. An installation for defoaming lubricants characterized in that a substantially vertically center pipe means terminating in a feed line adapted to be connected with an oil supply channel, is arranged in a housing means, said center pipe means being provided with a throttling means and with aperture means upstream of the throttling means, as viewed in the normal flow direction, said aperture means terminating in a housing space that is relatively larger than the center pipe means, and a discharge aperture provided in the lower portion of the housing means for the discharge of the cleaned oil whereas oil possibly still mixed with air is able to flow into a return line; characterized in that a partition wall which is mounted closely below the aperture means provided in the center pipe means, separates an upper venting space within the housing means from a lower supply space, said upper and lower spaces being connected with each other only by an annular gap remaining between the portion wall and the corresponding housing wall; characterized in that the partition wall is supported on a fine-mesh sieve jacket means surrounding the center pipe means, said sievejacket means also surrounding the discharge aperture provided in the lower portion of the housing means; and characterized in that an opening is provided in the upper portion of the housing means, which consists of a gap that remains between the center pipe means and the wall of the opening provided in the ceiling of the housing means through which the center pipe means extends, said opening leading into a space surrounded by an annular cylinder means, and in that further aperture means connected with the bore of the center pipe means terminate in said last-mentioned space.

19. An installation according to claim 18, characterized in that the center pipe means extending through substantially the entire housing is provided, on the one hand, with a head portion and on the other, with a thread by means of which it is screwed into the housing bottom so as to extend up the feed line whereas the head portion presses the annular cylinder means, connected with the return line, sealingly against the ceiling of the housing means whereby also the opening is sealed off.

20. An installation according to claim 19, characteri'zedin that the head portion is provided with a flattened surface at least on one side to facilitate screwing the center pipe means into the bottom of the housing means. i

21. An installation according to claim 20, characterized in that the oil supply channel is fed by a pump from the sump of an internal combustion engine, and in that the return line is connected with the sump.

22. An installation according to claim 21, characterized in that the discharge aperture provided in the lower portion of the housing space is connected to supply lubricant to hydraulic valve lifter elements of the internal combustion engine.

23. 'An installation for defoaming lubricants charac' terized in that a substantially vertically extending center pipe means terminating in a feed line adapted to be connected with an oil supply channel, is arranged in a housing means, said center pipe means being provided with a throttling means and with aperture means upstream of the throttling means as viewed in a normal flow direction, said aperture means terminating in a housing space that is relatively larger than the center pipe means, and a discharge aperture provided in the lower portion of the housing means for the discharge of the cleaned oil, whereas oil possibly still mixed with air is able to flow into a return line; and characterized in that an opening is provided in the upper portion of the housing means, which consists of a gap that remains between the center pipe means and the wall of the opening provided in the ceiling of the housing means through which the center pipe means extends, said opening leading into a space surrounded by an annular cylinder means, and in that further aperture means connected with the bore of the center pipe means terminate in said last-mentioned space.

- 24. An installation according to claim 23, characterized in that the center pipe means extending through substantially the entire housing is provided, on the one hand, with a head portion and on the other, with a thread by means of which it is screwed into the housing bottom so as to extend up to the feed line whereas the ized in that the head portion is provided with a flattened surface at least on one side to facilitate screwing the center pipe means into the bottom of the housing means. 

1. An installation for defoaming lubricants comprising a housing means, a center pipe means terminating at a lower end in a feed line connected with a lubricant supply containing an air-oil mixture, said center pipe means including a throttling means and aperture means upstream of said throttling means with respect to the normal flow direction through said center pipe means, said aperture means opening into a space of said housing means adjacent to said center pipe for communicating at least a portion of said air-oil mixture to said space dimensioned with respect to said center pipe means such as to provide a venting space for air separated from said air-oil mixture, a discharge aperture provided in a lower portion of the housing means separate from said feed line for discharging oil separated from said air-oil mixture, and outlet means provided at an upper end of said center pipe means for communicating any air-oil mixture remaining in said center pipe means into a return line.
 2. An installation according to claim 1, wherein a partition wall is mounted within said housing means space closely below the aperture means provided in the center pipe means, and separates an upper venting space within the housing means from a lower supply space, said upper and lower spaces being connected with each other only by an annular gap remaining between the partition wall and a corresponding wall of said housing means.
 3. An installation according to claim 2, wherein said partition wall is supported on a fine-mesh sieve jacket means surrounding the center pipe means, said sieve-jacket means also enclosing said discharge aperture provided in the lower portion of the housing means.
 4. An installation according to claim 3, characterized in that the discharge aperture for the discharge of the cleaned oil is provided in the bottom of the housing means.
 5. An installation according to claim 1, wherein said outlet means comprises an opening in an upper wall portion of said housing means surrounding said center pipe means, said opening connected to a space formed by an annular cylinder means disposed above said upper wall portion and wherein said upper end of said center-pipe means is connected to said space of said housing means by second aperture means.
 6. An installation according to claim 5, wherein said center-pipe means extends through said housing and includes a head portion at said upper end and a threaded portion at said lower end, said threaded portion being screwed into said lower portion of said housing means to connect with said oil supply channel, and said head portion sealingly engages said annular cylinder means against said upper wall portion of said housing means such that said opening is sealed.
 7. An installation according to claim 1, wherein said center pipe means is substantially vertical.
 8. An installation according to claim 1, wherein said space of said housing means surrounds said center pipe means.
 9. An installation according to claim 8, wherein said housing means space concentrically surrounds said center pipe meanS.
 10. An installation according to claim 1, wherein said aperture means is the only opening between said lower end and said upper end.
 11. An installation according to claim 1, wherein said space of said housing means is relatively larger than the space defined by said center pipe means.
 12. An installation according to claim 1, wherein said throttling means and aperture means are configured such that a substantial portion of said air-oil mixture passes through said aperture means into said space of said housing means.
 13. An installation according to claim 12, wherein said air-oil mixture is separated exclusively by gravity acting on the oil while the air is vented upwardly in said space.
 14. An installation according to claim 3, wherein said sieve-jacket means has a fine mesh size of about 10 Mu to about 20 Mu .
 15. An installation according to claim 1, wherein said discharge aperture for discharging cleaned oil is provided in a bottom portion of said housing means.
 16. An installation according to claim 1, wherein said oil supply channel is fed by a pump from the sump of an internal combustion engine, and said return line is connected with the sump.
 17. An installation according to claim 16, wherein said discharge aperture provided in the lower portion of the housing space is connected to for supplying lubricant to hydraulic valve lifter elements of the internal combustion engine.
 18. An installation for defoaming lubricants characterized in that a substantially vertically center pipe means terminating in a feed line adapted to be connected with an oil supply channel, is arranged in a housing means, said center pipe means being provided with a throttling means and with aperture means upstream of the throttling means, as viewed in the normal flow direction, said aperture means terminating in a housing space that is relatively larger than the center pipe means, and a discharge aperture provided in the lower portion of the housing means for the discharge of the cleaned oil whereas oil possibly still mixed with air is able to flow into a return line; characterized in that a partition wall which is mounted closely below the aperture means provided in the center pipe means, separates an upper venting space within the housing means from a lower supply space, said upper and lower spaces being connected with each other only by an annular gap remaining between the portion wall and the corresponding housing wall; characterized in that the partition wall is supported on a fine-mesh sieve jacket means surrounding the center pipe means, said sieve-jacket means also surrounding the discharge aperture provided in the lower portion of the housing means; and characterized in that an opening is provided in the upper portion of the housing means, which consists of a gap that remains between the center pipe means and the wall of the opening provided in the ceiling of the housing means through which the center pipe means extends, said opening leading into a space surrounded by an annular cylinder means, and in that further aperture means connected with the bore of the center pipe means terminate in said last-mentioned space.
 19. An installation according to claim 18, characterized in that the center pipe means extending through substantially the entire housing is provided, on the one hand, with a head portion and on the other, with a thread by means of which it is screwed into the housing bottom so as to extend up the feed line whereas the head portion presses the annular cylinder means, connected with the return line, sealingly against the ceiling of the housing means whereby also the opening is sealed off.
 20. An installation according to claim 19, characterized in that the head portion is provided with a flattened surface at least on one side to facilitate screwing the center pipe means into the bottom of the housing means.
 21. An installation according to claim 20, characterized in that the oil supply channel is fed by a pump from the sump of an internal combustion engine, and in that the return line is connected with the sump.
 22. An installation according to claim 21, characterized in that the discharge aperture provided in the lower portion of the housing space is connected to supply lubricant to hydraulic valve lifter elements of the internal combustion engine.
 23. An installation for defoaming lubricants characterized in that a substantially vertically extending center pipe means terminating in a feed line adapted to be connected with an oil supply channel, is arranged in a housing means, said center pipe means being provided with a throttling means and with aperture means upstream of the throttling means as viewed in a normal flow direction, said aperture means terminating in a housing space that is relatively larger than the center pipe means, and a discharge aperture provided in the lower portion of the housing means for the discharge of the cleaned oil, whereas oil possibly still mixed with air is able to flow into a return line; and characterized in that an opening is provided in the upper portion of the housing means, which consists of a gap that remains between the center pipe means and the wall of the opening provided in the ceiling of the housing means through which the center pipe means extends, said opening leading into a space surrounded by an annular cylinder means, and in that further aperture means connected with the bore of the center pipe means terminate in said last-mentioned space.
 24. An installation according to claim 23, characterized in that the center pipe means extending through substantially the entire housing is provided, on the one hand, with a head portion and on the other, with a thread by means of which it is screwed into the housing bottom so as to extend up to the feed line whereas the head portion presses the annular cylinder means, connected with the return line, sealingly against the ceiling of the housing means whereby also the opening is sealed off.
 25. An installation according to claim 24, characterized in that the head portion is provided with a flattened surface at least on one side to facilitate screwing the center pipe means into the bottom of the housing means. 